Since last week, the media has been reporting on the alleged resignation by the Director-General of the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform, Mr Thozi Gwanya. This statement confirms that these rumours do not have any basis and at best, are malicious.

These false rumours were apparently based on an unsubstantiated media statement by the Democratic Alliance's spokesperson, Annette Steyn, who amongst others alleges that:
• The Director-General had resigned;
• That this resignation follows a DA's request for the Auditor-General to audit the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform.

Hiding from faceless, anonymous informants, Steyn alleges that this alleged resignation by the Director-General has being confirmed by a "senior bureaucrat" and a "senior policy official" in the department as well as an ANC legislator. If the Director-General had tendered his resignation, apparently a month ago, common sense dictates that he should at least be the first to know about his own resignation as he would have written it himself!

Firstly, it must be noted that the Director-General has confirmed that he has not tendered his resignation to the Minister or to anyone else.

Secondly, the Director-General has indicated that it should be placed on record that Steyn sent him an sms a few weeks ago, requesting him to confirm what she referred to then as rumours about his resignation, whether these rumours of the Director-General's resignation were true. The Director-General subsequently responded to her, through an sms indicating that such rumours, if they existed, were not true.

It is mind-boggling that the very same Steyn, despite written confirmation from that there is no basis for such rumours (of the alleged resignation) is the one who is peddling such rumours in the media!

The Director-General has indicated that if the DA wishes to resign on his behalf, the least - and possibly honourable thing to do - would be for the DA to consult him and request for his approval for the DA to resign on his behalf!

Furthermore, it must be noted that neither the Minister for Rural Development and Land Reform, Mr Gugile Nkwinti, nor the Director-General of the Department, are aware of the so-called a "damning report" by the Auditor-General, which Steyn refers to (which she alleges to be basis of the Director-General's alleged resignation). The Auditor-General has also indicated, in the engagement between the department and the Auditor-General, that he was also not aware of such a report!

Steyn creates an impression that a "damning report" was written, based on the investigations the DA requested the Auditor-General to undertake. As indicated above, the Auditor-General is not aware of such a report (which, according to Steyn, was written by the Auditor-General).

Furthermore, the Office of the Auditor-General does not operate in the manner that Steyn has indicated - if there was an Auditor-General report, whether damning or not, the Auditor-General would have discussed such a report with the Minister and with the Director-General as the Accounting Officer of the Department.

The Director-General has recommend therefore, that the media should request the DA's Steyn to provide them with the "damning report" she has been referring to, as neither the Minister, nor the Auditor-General nor the Director-General know anything about the said report are therefore unable to engage the media on it nor provide it to the media.

Two things are however very clear from this Annette Steyn saga:

One - that an official who is alleged to have resigned does not know of his "own" resignation, nor does the superior of the official, who is supposed to consider such a resignation.

Two - neither the Minister, nor the Auditor-General nor the Director-General are aware of the damning report, which Steyn alleges to have been written by the Auditor-General.